Car-coupling



Patented Sept. I3, |898.

A. F. KUHLMANN.

CAR COUPLING.

(Applicaiion led Mar. B, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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ADOLPH F. KUI-ILMANN, OF LA GROSSE, VISCONSIN.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 610,814, dated September 13, 1898. Application filed March 8,1898.l Serial No. 673,056. (No model.)

lTo all whom, it may concern:

Beitknown that I, ADoLrH F. KUHLMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automatic car-couplin gs of the type shown in my United States Letters Patent No. 583,380, dated May 25, 1897; and the object is to provide simple, inexpensive, and effective coupling mechanism of this character that can be applied to the ordinary draw# head coupling pin and link now in use.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings the same reference characters indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved coupling, showing the coupling-pin on one car held in operative position to engage the link on an adjoining car. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the hood or box. Fig. 3 is a front view of same. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bail. Fig. 5 is a front view of same and pin supported thereby. Fig. G is a side view of the coupling-link.

1 represents the usual draw-head, and 2 the ordinary coupling-pin.

3 represents a horizontal transverse shaft mounted to oscillate and to slide horizontally in a bearing 4f on the end of the car, and its outer end terminates in a `depending crankhandle 5, while its inner end is bent horizontally forward and forms a lever G, the forward end of which terminates in an eye 7, in which is suspended a bail 8. This bail 8 is formed with integral depending parallel arms 9 9, the lower ends of which terminate in integral oblong parallel eyes 10 10, which engage the opposite edges of the flange 12 on the head of the coupling-pin 2. The front ends 10 of the eyes flare outwardly in opposite directions, as

shown, to admit the flange 12, which rests upon the lower arms 102.

The eye 7 is formed by slightly turning -u p the outer end of the lever and welding a piece of soft iron or other metal 7 thereon. welded piece is provided with a substantially hook-shaped outer end, the bill of which laps over upon the end of the lever and forms in conjunction therewith the eye which receives the bail 8. By this construction the bail will pull clear of the lever in case of an accidentas, for example, the draw-head leavin gthe car and carrying the pin with it--without damaging or derangiug the mechanism permanentl y fixed to the car. In this operation the soft-metal piece 7 yields and bends outwardly and downwardly.

13 represents a loose link which iits snugly over the arms 9 9 and engages the head of the pin to prevent the same from accidentally slipping out of the eyes.

14E represents a box or hood mounted on the end sill 15 immediately above the draw-head and secured thereto by bolts, screws, or other suitable fastening devices passing through its flanges 16. This box is provided with a chamber 17, opening to the exterior through its front wall, and with inclined ledges 18 19, separated by an oblique slot 20, terminating in a substantially perpendicular lower portion 20', opening through the bottom of the box. It is also provided in one of its end Walls with an inclined slot 21, through which the inner end ofthe shaft 3 projects and loosely plays. By this construction it will be seen that the ledge 18 extends substantially parallel with the slot 21 and is comparatively narrow, while the ledge 19 is broad and occupies more than one-half of the width of the box. The lever G projects forwardly through the box and may be rested on either one of the ledges 18 19 to hold the couplingpin elevated, as hereinafter described.

22 represents the link, which is provided on its under side with a wedge-shaped supportinghlug 23, adapted to rest on the bottom of the draw-head and thereby support the linkin a horizontal position in readiness to engage the coupling-pin at all times. This lug will Vhe formed integrally with the link when the latter is made, but will be Welded to links already'in use.

This

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The operation is as follows: When it is desired to couple by impact, the crank-handle 5 is moved outwardly and upwardly to raise the lever and pin and at the same time rest said lever on the narrow ledge 18, from which it is dislodged by the shock and drops down into the slot 20 20', thereby allowing the pin to fall by gravity and engage the link 22 to couple the cars. When it is desired to raise the coupling-pin and sustain it in this position indefinitely, the crank-handle 5 is raised to bring the lever 6 into the chamber 17, and then the shaft is slid inwardly to rest said lever on the wide ledge 19, from which it cannot be dislodged by impact, so that the ears may be pushed about without coupling them.

It will thus be seen that the entire operation of coupling is automatically performed without even the presence of the brakeman, and in uncoupling the cars he is not even required to go between them, as this operation may loe performed by simply raising the crankhandle 5 and sliding the shaft 3 outward or inward to rest the lever 6 on either ledge 18 or 19, as may be desired. By this operation the pin is raised and supported.

Although I have described the particular manner of carrying out my invention, I do not wish to limit myself to this precise construction, as various modifications of the same will readilysuggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains without departing from the spirit thereof.

l-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-couplin g, the combination, with a pin, of an uncoupling-lever having an up-A turned outer end, a soft-metal section welded onto the lever and having a substantially hook-shaped outer end, the bill of which laps over upon the end of the lever and forms in conjunction therewith an eye, and a connection between the pin and lever, said connectionl being suspended in said eye and adapted to be released by the outward bending of the said soft-metal eye-section when the pin is accidentally and forcibly carried away, substantially as described. l

2. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a pin, of a lever having at its forward end an eye formed with a soft-metal section welded thereon, and a connection between the pin and eye, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a pin, of a lever having at its forward end an eye formed with a soft-metal section welded thereon, a box having oppositely-arranged ledges of different widths for supporting the lever, a swinging bail suspended in the eye of the lever and formed with rigid arms terminating at their lower ends in eyes flared outwardly at their front ends to receive the flange at the base of the head of the pin, and a loose ring or link encompassing said arms and adapted to engage the link-head, substantially as described.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-head 1 and coupling-pin 12, of a box or hood 14 provided with the chamber 17, ledges 1S 19 separated by the slot 2O 20 and slot 2l in its side wall, a sliding shaft 3 having its inner end projecting through said slot 2l and provided with a lever-arm 6 extending through the front of the boX, and a connection between the lever and pin, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPH F. KUHLMANN. 

